Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electric machines and, more particularly, to a cooling manifold for an electric machine having an integrated switching mechanism.
Conventional electric motor systems, such as those used in automotive, agricultural, and other heavy duty applications where electric and hybrid motors are employed, include an electric motor operatively coupled to an inverter through high voltage cabling. A typical inverter includes a controller portion and a multi-phase power switching portion. The multi-phase power switching portion includes various high voltage components such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (mosfets), rectifiers, capacitors, inductors, high voltage wiring and the like. The inverter is electrically connected to an engine control module, a high voltage battery, and the electric motor. The connections between the inverter and the battery, and the inverter and the electric motor, require high voltage cabling. In addition, the inverter is also typically connected to a cooling system. Cooling systems for inverters include a fluid coolant such as oil, water, air or other media that can absorb and retain heat.